u.s. patent office issued a patent. i will not give you a pop quiz. it was labeled john deere plow. the implement sketched out could have easily been labeled one of the most important inventions in history. they called it the plow that broke the plains, and it did. by replacing cast iron with smooth innovation, it opened up swaths of land for cultivation. it made it possible for my hometown to exist. beforehand, tilling an acre took a full 24 hours. afterward, as little as five. every toil ended another assumption of what the land could produce. it is not just the start of agricultural success, but of national success. this kind of game changing innovation has enabled us to leap ahead and increase harvest and feed the whole world. sometimes these innovations come from the most advanced science. other times they are simple steps and ideas that come from looking at and listening closely to the problem. all of them can break down barriers to food security. it can allow us to allow new paths o